Let’s Start the Conversation About Mental Illness

My name is Missy Boser and I live with mental illness. When I was 24 years old I was diagnosed with depression. At 27 years old, I was also diagnosed with anxiety. Why am I telling you this? Because I think it is important to be open about mental illness. So I am going to start the conversation about mental illness!

This week, Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain, committed suicide. Two more people are gone due to mental illness. That is two too many! Maybe, just maybe, if mental illness wasn’t so taboo we wouldn’t have lost these two so early.

How Can I Start a Conversation about Mental Illness?

Listen – Listen to what they are saying! Be an active listener that isn’t judging. Also, sometimes people just need to talk and are not looking for advice.

Be Patient– For some people, it is hard to talk about their mental illness.

Be Understanding – When they finally open up and talk to you about their mental illness let them know you understand. Better yet, if you have gone through something similar let them know!

Have the Conversation As Many Times As Needed– Mental illness doesn’t go away overnight! If you see this person is struggling, start the conversation over again!

I have been having an open conversation about mental illness for a long time, probably since I was diagnosed. What makes it easier, for me, is that along the way I started to own and accept my anxiety. Now, as much as it is a hindrance it is also what drives me. It took a lot of therapy to get to this point but I got there and others can too. We just need to start talking about it!

My hope is that by being open about my mental illness it will show others that it’s okay to talk about. And in turn, we will reduce the stigma around mental illness. Will you help me start the conversation about mental illness?

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Comments

This is an important post. I have two family members who battle mental illness. I have learned to be thankful that I don’t battle this myself. I have also learned that just because I have never experienced what they have gone through doesn’t belittle their experiences. Their reality is there reality and all I can do is be there for them.

There is no stigma here with me. Thank you for sharing this important post.

Hello! My name is Missy, and I am the blogger behind Getting Fit to Find Myself. I live in the Twin Cities (Minnesota) with my fiancé, Justin, and my dog, Baylee. This blog came out of a want, I wanted a place to talk about how my fitness and weight loss journeys have helped shape who I am today. Read More…